Saturday, October 26, 2013

The City on the Edge of Forever

        This episode starts aboard the bridge in an unusually calm start. This is wrecked quickly when Sulu's station explodes and Sulu is flung across the board. While Kirk and Spock try to figure out whats going on and prevent it from happening again, Bones is called in to check in on Sulu. He administers a small dosage of cordrazine to Sulu, who wakes up instantly with this huge cheesy smile on his face. Because of course huge cheesy smiles is how people wake up all the time from being knocked unconscious.

      The ship shakes again, but this time more violently causing McCoy to fall onto the needle with cordrazine, injecting the rest of the medicine into himself. Once the ship is steady everyone realizes what happens and runs to his side, because cordrazine is very powerful stuff and should be taken in small doses.
 

Well, the medicine doesn't sit well with McCoy and he goes stark raving bonkers believing that someone is out to kill him. The medication takes hold of McCoy and he runs from the bridge, violently pushing past the emergency medical staff and security guards. McCoy makes his way to the transport room, knocks out the controller with an extremely cheesy move that couldn't have been more than a light tap, and beams himself down to the planet.
        Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Uhura, and two security guards all follow McCoy down to the planet. This choice of  landing party crew alone should tell how important the mission to find Bones is. Spock, Scotty, and Uhura are the ones who run the Enterprise when Kirk is off running around on his missions, but all three of them have come down with Kirk. This then begs the question: Who's watching the Enterprise?
          This question is never answered though because Kirk and Spock discover a giant rock formation that looks like the middle has vaporized. Spock discovers that the rock is the cause of all the time displacement. When Kirk asks him to explain he can't and goes on to say that the rock is impossible by all logic.
      Spock continues to go on about how impossible the rock is when Kirk asks the magic question, "Then what is it?" Suddenly the rock lights up and begins to respond. The rock tells them that its sole purpose in being created was to answer questions. It tells them that it is the Guardian of Forever and that it is both machine and being as well as being neither at the same time. To which Kirk and Spock give the rock 'WTF' faces. 
       This scene gets interesting when Spock and The Guardian of Forever argue. Well, its not really arguing. Theres no raised voices or fist fighting, but it isn't a calm conversation either. The  Guardian constantly mentions how lacking in knowledge and how simple minded Kirk and Spock are to it. Once even daring to say that Spock's science knowledge is primitive. Spock looks aghast, like he'd just been struck in the face or told that ghosts were a logical phenomena. Kirk asks him smugly if he's annoyed and Spock gives him this priceless look that pretty much says, "HELL YEAH I'M ANNOYED! BABY I'M SPOCK! WHAT AUTHORITY DOES A ROCK HAVE TO CALL MY KNOWLEDGE OF SCIENCE PRIMITIVE!" 
      The rock goes on to explain how its a gateway to the past. As it explains this and Spock tries to rationalize it Bones jumps through the center of the rock. Afterwards it seems that the communicators no longer work and the Enterprise is gone. Spock comes to the conclusion that whatever Bones does in the past screws up the future so Spock and Kirk jump through the rock to fix everything an get McCoy, knowing full well that they may not end up in the same place or even same time. 
         
      Kirk and Spock jump through the hole and find themselves in 1930's America. Of course Spock and Kirk stand out a mile with their bright colors and Starfleet uniforms. Trying to blend in more Kirk steals some clothes, but ends up getting caught by the police. To get himself out of trouble he makes up this convoluted story about how Spock is Chinese and how his ears were pulled by a mechanical rice picker. The cop of course sees right through it and tries to arrest them, but Kirk and Spock make a break for it holding the clothes tightly.
          They find safety from the cop in a dark basement and change clothes.  A little after they're done changing a beautiful lady comes down to the basement and sees Kirk and Spock. After Kirk explains they're story( minus a few details) the lady introduces herself as Sister Edith Keeler and tells the two that they are welcome to stay and get food at the missionary. 
                   A little later while Kirk and Spock are eating food at the missionary, Edith goes on a fantastic rant about how eventually there will be peace and spaceships and all these other things that are in Kirk and Spock's present, but her future. So of course they exchange looks quite a bit during her speech. 
       Edith gives Spock and Kirk a place to sleep in the missionary, and while Spock figures out a way to find out how history was corrupted and how to fix it, Kirk does his normal lady charming thing on Edith. 
 
     Spock figures out that McCoy will arrive soon and whatever he does causes two possible outcomes to Edith: Death or Germany wins World War 2.  Of course Germany doesn't win WWII so Kirk and Spock realize Edith must die, but this becomes an issue when Kirk admits he's fallen in love with her. 
               Unknown to Kirk and Spock at the same time Kirk and Spock are figuring things out, Edith is nursing a crazed Bones back to health. There is almost meetings quite a bit between the members of the Enterprise, but always stopped short. Edith even mentions that her man is taking her out to a Clark Gable movie. Of course McCoy being from the future doesn't know who that is. Well later on her date with Kirk when she asks about the Clark Gable movie, Kirk also doesn't know who that is and makes a comment similar to McCoy.  Edith laughs and mentions McCoy who just so happens to be leaving the missionary as Kirk turns around. He runs back to the missionary and bombards McCoy with a hug. 
      As Kirk, Spock, and McCoy reunite Edith is left in the middle of the street wondering what the hell is going on, so she walks to the boys not seeing a giant truck behind her. Kirk grabs McCoy who tries to run and save her all the while hiding his face in McCoy's shoulder, not wanting to see Edith die. McCoy yells at Kirk asking him if he knew what he did by holding him back. Kirk can't respond, but Spock answers solemnly that Kirk knew all too well what he was doing.  
     Kirk, Spock, and McCoy end up back on the planet with the Guardian. Scotty makes a comment that they'd only been gone for a few seconds, though to Spock and Kirk they'd been gone practically a week. As Uhura mentions everything is as it should be Kirk remains stone faced and sullen only speaking to say, "Lets get the hell outta here." 
     Everyone beams back, but not after watching Kirk fully aware that something happened in the past, worry clearly pasted on everyone's face...even Spock's.

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